New Toyota headquarters officially opens in Plano

PLANO - Toyota’s new headquarters in Plano opened Thursday morning with a grand opening that included White House staff, local elected officials and former Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith.

Three years ago Toyota announced it was moving its North American headquarters to Plano and the end result is an ultra-modern, state-of-the-art complex with sort of a futuristic design. There’s an open-air feature that can be seen over the main entrance.

The company’s headquarters is actually a cluster of buildings connected by walkways or a plaza or two, all nicely landscaped. It sits on a 100-acre site and spans 2 million square feet along Legacy Drive and the Sam Rayburn Tollway.

Some employees have already moved in. Toyota plans to have 4,000 people working in the complex by the end of the year. Most have moved to North Texas from other Toyota facilities around the country but the company does plan to hire about 1,000 workers from North Texas.

Governor Greg Abott called it one of the largest economic development deals in Texas.

"This company is helping to support the Texas economy is unmatched," he said. "We continue to add jobs at an incredible pace in part because of what Toyota has done more Texans have jobs today than ever before in the history of our great state." 

Plano Mayor Harry Larosiliere talked about the reason why Toyota chose the city to relocate.

“I think the cornerstone of a great city is safety. We are one of the safest cities in America, terrific school district, fantastic city services and our people. So that’s the cornerstone that really drew Toyota here and they’re committed to be part of our community as well,” he said.

The automaker also received some financial incentives to build its headquarters in Plano. Toyota got $40 million from the Texas Enterprise Fund and another $6.5 million from the city of Plano, plus tax abatements.

But Mayor Larosiliere said all that will end up being a very good investment for the city.

Toyota also announced a $1 millon grant. It was awarded to the Collin County Mobility Collaborative made up of family and friends organizations.